The Heart of America Rugby Football Union is a college rugby conference playing in Division 1-AA, with members composed mostly of Big 12 and SEC schools (and many of these schools enjoying longstanding rivalries from the former Big Eight Conference). HOA organizes a league competition with the winner qualifying for the national playoffs, and every fall hosts a rugby sevens tournament with the winner qualifying for the national sevens championships.
Heart of America was a Division 2 conference until 2011, with Arkansas and Missouri ranked among the top teams in Division 2. In summer 2011, however, with the creation of the Premier College Division (Division 1-A), several conferences including HOA decided to move up to Division 1-AA.
The HOA conference is led by Conference Commissioner Bill Sexton of Truman State University.
Video Heart of America (college rugby)
Current members
The current member schools (and the date they joined the conference) are:
Member notes:
- Lindenwood joined HOA summer of 2012. Lindenwood was the Division 2 champion in 2011-12, and was promoted to Division 1-AA for the 2012-13 year.
- Iowa State joined HOA summer of 2012. Iowa State played in the D1-AA Midwest conference until summer 2012, and joined HOA when the majority of the Midwest conference teams joined the newly formed Big 10 rugby conference.
- Former member Central Missouri left the conference in summer 2012 to play in the Division 2 Gateway Collegiate Rugby Conference.
- Former member Lindenwood left the HOA conference during the summer of 2013 to play in the Division 1-A Mid/South conference.
- Washington University are a club team as opposed to an official varsity squad and thus use the moniker Griffins instead of the school's mascot Bears. The Griffins promoted from the Division 2 Gateway Collegiate Rugby Conference.
- University of Arkansas left the summer of 2016 for the Red River Rugby Conference
- University of Nebraska joined 2015 after leaving the Big 10 Rugby Conference
Maps Heart of America (college rugby)
League results
Heart of America Sevens
The HOA sevens tournament is played every fall among the eight members of the HOA conference and a limited number of additional Division 1 schools. The winner of the HOA sevens tournament qualifies for the annual USA Rugby sevens national championship.
The HOA sevens tournament is one of a number of college rugby tournaments that are tapping into the increased interest of rugby sevens while also targeting traditional collegiate conference rivalries. The HOA developed this competition due to the increasing popularity of rugby sevens throughout the United States, particularly since the 2009 announcement adding rugby sevens to the Summer Olympics, and in the wake of the success of the Collegiate Rugby Championship rugby sevens tournament broadcast live on NBC every year.
See also
- College rugby
- College Premier Division
- Collegiate Rugby Championship
- USA Rugby
- Rugby union in the United States
References
Source of article : Wikipedia
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